It's Pie Time!

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Okay, so it’s actually turkey day. But Thanksgiving is really about the desserts, right? Whether you’re contributing a pie to a potluck or serving one at home, these tips from baking experts for the most-Googled pie recipes are sure to come in handy.

Pumpkin. “I love using fresh pumpkins in my pies!” says Allison Kave, author of First Prize Pies. Look for cheese or custard-variety pumpkins, roast them, and let them drain overnight in a colander, refrigerated. If you’re using canned pumpkin, Kave recommends cooking it for a minute or two to intensify the flavor (cool before using).

Apple. Tom Burford literally wrote the book on apples—Apples of North America—and teaches pie classes. The No. 1 takeaway? Variety. “To make a good pie, you need four elements: acid, sugar, tannin, and an aromatic. No one apple has all that, but a combination—say, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, and York—makes an exquisite pie.”

Sweet potato. According to Beranbaum, keeping the crust crisp is a (ginger)snap: “Crush four (2-inch) gingersnaps, and press them into the bottom crust before adding the filling. It will absorb excess moisture, so the bottom crust doesn’t become soggy.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 56% of us will eat pie on Thanksgiving—which leads us to ask…what’s wrong with the other 44%?Source: the NPD Group